Boys & Girls Club turns 20

Thursday

Mar 28, 2013 at 4:30 AM

Julia HockenberryBoys & Girls Club

Recently I gassed up the family sedan and headed south to visit my old university stomping grounds. Within seconds of stepping on campus, I realized how dramatically things had changed. My shirt was dry clean only, and I was fresh as a daisy after eight hours of sleep and a multivitamin. I was wearing sensible shoes and had eaten bran cereal for breakfast. Slathered in moisturizer with SPF 45, I also carried an umbrella, just in case. But perhaps even more startling were elements of this college experience that hadn't changed at all from years ago. The energy of being 20 years old buzzed around me, and I was giddy with a sense of raw potential. Reclining on a bench in the student union, I kicked off my sensible shoes and couldn't shake the long-lost, ebullient feeling that the world was my oyster and I was starving for seafood. Our 20s are thrilling. If we maneuver into adulthood the right way, we become increasingly gregarious, passionate, energetic and driven. It is when ambition bubbles up and drowns out the insecurities of adolescence. We know who we are. Rebellion evolves into accountability, and we pounce on opportunity with unbridled vigor. Remember that feeling?This year the Boys & Girls Club of Henderson County turns 20 years old and celebrates two decades of service to young people in our community. To properly celebrate, I've been catching up with member alumni, who are now card-carrying adults just like me. "My first inkling of possibly going to college came from the club," said Crystal, who was a member 13 years ago. "The staff played a huge role in my development as a young person because they all saw something in me that I didn't see in myself. They were there to redirect me the many times that I was distracted, and I was encouraged to do better and to be better." That, my friends, is what it's all about. We inspire, empower and enable the children who need us most to grow into productive, caring, responsible citizens. For a $5 annual membership fee, our members achieve in school, resist risky behaviors, stay healthy and fit, and I believe Henderson County is all the better for it. It's quite something to imagine our impact over a 20-year time span, especially quantified with dollar bills. Studies show that states spend an average of $7.1 million a day locking youth up in juvenile justice facilities. Childhood obesity alone is responsible for $14.1 billion annually in direct healthcare costs nationwide. Nationally, teen childbearing costs taxpayers at least $10.9 billion each year. Every high school graduate brings a $209,100 average lifetime economic benefit to the United States, compared to non-graduates.Over two decades, we've grown from a 2,000-square-foot building to a 35,000-square-foot campus; from serving 200 kids a year to serving 1,553. But it's not just our population and footprint that has developed; our outcomes have grown, too. Club seniors accomplished a 100 percent high school graduation rate the last three years, in spite of a national rate of 73 percent. Sixty-three percent of our members are listed on the honor roll. Our young people spend well over 10,000 hours each year in club heath and fitness programs and volunteer more than 3,000 hours annually in our community. As a club we know who we are. We're gregarious, passionate, energetic and driven. We pounce on opportunity with unbridled vigor. And we're ready now to make an even more profound difference for at-risk youth in Henderson County. Fasten your seat belts and kick off those sensible shoes, my friends. It's time now to catapult into our Roaring 20s.

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